The Hole
by Spunky0ne
Summary: Ichigo and Grimmjow become trapped in a really deep hole...aaaaaaand? Well, you know...yaoi, mpreg...Ichigo/Grimmjow, Byakuya/Renji, Rikichi/Tetsuya
1. Long Fall into the Deep

**The Hole**

**By Spunky0ne**

**(Storyline suggested by RMEGMR (Sorry it took forever to get going!)! Thanks for the challenge. This is Ichi/Grimm. Hope you like!)**

**Chapter 1: Long Fall into the Deep**

Ichigo soared across the dark, drifting sands of Hueco Mundo, frowning slightly and honing in on a reiatsu signal in the distance. Beside him, Abarai Renji rode the back of his skeletal snake with Byakuya, Rikichi and Rukia seated just behind him.

"We last read Tetsuya's position somewhere around here, ne?" Renji said, glancing at his fukutaichou for confirmation and earning a nod from Rikichi.

"Yes sir," Rikichi replied, looking around, "The signal came from just ahead. But we'll have to approach carefully. Kuchiki fukutaichou reported the presence of some kind of trap just before his communications were cut off."

"And we haven't heard from Arashi or him since," Rukia acknowledged worriedly, "This isn't good."

"I do not sense Tetsuya's reiatsu yet," noted Byakuya, "however, there is some kind of disturbance in the reiatsu here."

"I sense it too," Renji agreed.

"Hell, even I sense that," Ichigo mused.

"Which immediately makes it suspicious," Byakuya concluded, "If one was trying to hide its presence, it would not use a method that almost seems meant to bring attention to itself."

"Weird," Renji said, studying the area just ahead of them and bringing the skeletal snake to a stop.

"I think we should proceed very carefully from here," Byakuya suggested, sliding down from the great snake's back and waiting as the others followed, "That reiatsu disruption could very well be a lure to draw prey into the area, where it might become vulnerable to some kind of trap."

"Do you think that's what happened to them, then?" queried Rikichi, his worried brown eyes scanning the area ahead of them, "They might have fallen into whatever trap this disruption led them to?"

"If that is the case, then this lure is a capable one to have drawn Tetsuya and Arashi in and overcome them," Byakuya said warningly.

Renji noticed the alarmed expression that rose on Rikichi's face at the mention of danger to Tetsuya, and he patted the younger shinigami on the back.

"Don't worry, kid," he said bracingly, "We'll find your pretty boyfriend and have him back home safe in no time, okay?"

"S-sure. Of course, Abarai taichou," Rikichi answered, a sliver of remaining doubt in his voice.

"Nii-sama," Rukia said, lowering her voice, "I sense something on the other side of that dune over there."

"I do as well," the clan leader agreed, "Come with me."

The group crept forward, keeping a close formation as they climbed the dune and peeked cautiously over the top. Rikichi gave a soft gasp and Ichigo made a sound of surprise and concern as they spotted a small hollow jumping around next to two larger, motionless forms.

"Let go of Nel, you nasty sticky stuff!" the little hollow shouted furiously, "You can't make me faint and I won't let you eat Pretty-san and our friend, Arashi-chan!"

"Whoa!" Ichigo cried, flash stepping away from the others, "Nel!"

He was stopped in his tracks a moment later by Rukia and Byakuya, who each took hold of one of his arms and held him back.

"Stop, you fool!" snapped Rukia, "You almost stepped in it!"

"In what?" Ichigo demanded, "What's got Nel, Tetsuya and Arashi?"

"_Kyuuketsuki-ho_," Byakuya answered darkly, "Creeping Vampire Vine. It is a living organism that is nearly impossible to see that lures and entraps its victims, first sucking their blood out, then slowly devouring them. They are an exceedingly rare form of hollow."

"Tetsuya!" Rikichi gasped, starting to flash step forward, only to feel an arm wrap around his waist a moment later as Renji stopped him.

"Hey, don't get reckless!" the eighth divison taichou warned his subordinate, "You want to get caught up and eaten?"

"B-but Tetsuya...!"

"He's going to be all right," Renji said firmly, "I'm sure Nel got to them before that thing started sucking his blood."

"And even if he and Arashi were bitten," Byakuya went on, "they wouldn't be transformed until all of their blood was drained."

"They just might be a little more _affectionate_ than usual," Rukia snickered.

"Oh, I think someone's going to be busy tonight," Renji chuckled, glancing at his blushing fukutaichou.

"Come along," Byakuya said shortly, cutting off their frivolity, "we need to free them."

The clan leader led the group around the edges of the barely visible growth, guiding them carefully towards Nel, then stopped a short distance away and drew his sword.

"Hold still," he warned the hollow, "and do not be afraid. The petals will come close and might touch you, but they will not cut you."

Nearby, Ichigo swore softly as he felt a sharp nip on his ankle and spotted an edge of the creeping vine touching him.

"Damn it!" he muttered, skittering away and moving in closer to the group as Byakuya summoned his power.

"Bankai, scatter Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

The group watched as a sea of petals converged on the trapped hollow, shinigami and horse, then struck the creeping vine with deadly accuracy. On the heels of his attack, Rukia struck the broken bits of vine with a shower of freezing snow, making the bits stiffen, then shatter and dissipate. Almost instantly, the disruption in the reiatsu around them disappeared. Ahead of them, Nel dropped to her knees at Tetsuya and Arashi's side, pausing for a moment, then making a guttural noise and expelling a heavy splash of saliva onto the two unconscious forms.

"Ugh," Ichigo complained softly, "I think those two are glad they're not awake right now."

He flinched as his ankle twinged painfully.

"That stuff may be gross, but you remember how good it heals injuries," Renji reminded him.

"Yeah," Ichigo admitted grudgingly, "It heals things great, but it's disgusting!"

"Well, I don't think Tetsuya or Arashi will complain about that, given the relief from their wounds."

"Are you sure they'll be all right, Kuchiki taichou?" Rikichi asked worriedly, "Kuchiki fukutaichou looks terribly pale!"

"That is the effect of the vine's venom," explained Byakuya, "It causes the victim to enter a euphoric state and to relax completely so that he or she will not fight as they are drained of blood. They are not even aware they are dying."

"Shit, that's freaky!" Renji mused anxiously.

"But they'll be okay? You're sure?" Rikichi persisted.

"Tetsuya and Arashi will be fine now," Byakuya affirmed, "They will be pale and cold, and may be emotionally excitable or overly amorous. But...I am sure that with you there with Tetsuya tonight to manage him, he will recover fully."

"What about ol' fleabag?" Renji chuckled, "Who's going to _manage_ him?"

"I think Ikazuchi's presence will comfort him," Byakuya said, smirking very slightly.

"Better him than that funky zebra that always tries to follow me around!" Renji huffed, "That bastard's annoying as hell!"

"Yeah, come to think of it, you two are like peas in a pod. He's just like you! Neither of you has any manners!" Ichigo quipped, ducking aside as Renji swatted at him.

"I'll teach you some manners!" Renji steamed.

"Abarai taichou," Byakuya said quietly, instantly halting the redhead's tirade, "I think we should examine the area around here to determine if we have eradicated all of this vine or if there are others."

"Y-yeah, you're right," Renji sighed, "Later, Ichigo."

"See ya," Ichigo chuckled.

He shook his head briefly as Byakuya, Rukia and Renji spread out in a search pattern, while Rikichi remained at Nel's side, assisting the hollow in Tetsuya and Arashi's healing.

"You okay, Nel?" he asked, grimacing slightly as the toddler expelled more healing saliva onto Arashi, who stirred sluggishly and groaned, then snorted in dismay and scrambled to his feet, "Heheh, I think Arashi's telling you he's all right now and doesn't want any more healing."

An amused chuckle escaped the Shiba heir as Arashi sniffed at the dripping goo on his body and his ears flicked about in annoyance.

"Or maybe that he's too grossed out for any more healing," Ichigo mused more softly.

Arashi lowered his head and nuzzled Tetsuya's cheek, rousing his master. The blue-eyed Kuchiki opened his eyes and blinked slowly as his senses returned, then made a soft 'Oh!' as he felt the sticky wetness all over his body.

"You're going to be okay now," Rikichi said, wrapping an arm around the noble and removing a small towel from his clothes to wipe away some of the offending moisture, "Sorry about that. It's just Nel-chan's healing ability. Nel-chan is the one who found you and kept that vine from devouring you and Arashi."

"Ah..." Tetsuya managed, still looking unsettled, "Thank you, Nel-chan...from Arashi and me. We are in your debt for putting yourself at risk for us."

"It's no problem!" Nel chirped cheerfully, "Nel wanted to help Pretty-san and Arashi-chan!"

"So what happened?" Rikichi asked, "How did you two get tangled up in that?"

"Eh," Tetsuya sighed in an annoyed tone, frowning at his errant mount, "I was examining a bit of it and it slipped around behind me and grabbed my ankle. I told Arashi to stay back, but he blundered in and only got me more entangled. He is young yet and has much to learn, I am afraid."

"Well, everything's okay now," Ichigo assured him, "Byakuya and the others are making sure all of that thing is gone. And I..."

He paused as a hell butterfly flitted into view and stopped in front of him.

_Ichigo_, Shiba Isshin's voice said, sounding slightly piqued, _I forgot to remind you about the pain-in-the-ass Noble's General Council Meeting regarding your choosing ceremony. You need to come back and..._

"Aw, man...I do not want to go to that thing," Ichigo groaned, shaking his head, "Will they _ever_ shut up about picking a bride for me? When are they going to get that they can't tell me who I'm gonna marry!"

"They are a bother," Tetsuya sympathized, leaning against Rikichi as he tried several halting steps, "They have been after Byakuya-sama...erm, Kuchiki taichou, to marry almost since the moment Hisana-sama passed away. But you shouldn't ignore a summons of the Noble's General Council."

"Yeah, I know," Ichigo sighed, turning away and activating the device that Yoruichi had given him, "Bye guys. Can you let Byakuya and the others know where I went?"

"Of course," Tetsuya answered, swaying slightly as he let go of Rikichi and tested his strength with several more tentative steps.

Tetsuya and Rikichi watched as Ichigo rose into the air and flew back in the direction of the crossover point.

"It's too bad they're picking on him so much to get married," Rikichi said, continuing to clean the goop from Tetsuya's face, throat and arms.

Tetsuya's eyes met his and Rikichi noted the odd golden flicker in the dark centers.

"We should get you back home," Rikichi asserted.

"Yes," Tetsuya replied, a strange breathiness to his words, "You're right. I think we should go."

XXXXXXXXXX

_I am so tired of this crap_, Ichigo thought as he soared back in the direction he had come, _I know that a lot of people died in the war and they're worried about passing on the legacy of our family's power, but this isn't something that I should have to rush into. And Dad's about as much 'help' as Renji would be in a noble's council meeting...His heart's in the right place, but he didn't really want to lead the family. We just lead because we're the most powerful, so it's our duty to watch out for the family. Damn. Maybe I should see if Byakuya gets back before it starts and ask him to come and help me out. He didn't do what he was told when he married Hisana. And he's sure not obeying them now, picking Renji to be his husband! Yeah, I should..._

"Whoa!" Ichigo yelled, his cry turning into a long, drawn out wail as the flight device he was holding suddenly failed, "HEY! I thought Yoruichi said this wouldn't fail on me and drop me to the AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

He seemed to fall endlessly, surrounded in blackness and with no idea when or where he would crash down. He summoned his reiatsu and let it radiate all around him, trying to slow himself down, but barely managed to make a noticeable difference as he tumbled downward. In a last ditch effort, he drew one blade and fired a downward blast. He thought then, that he might have heard a yelling voice, but quickly wrote it off as an odd echo. He crashed down into the ground, sending sand flying in all directions and plunging him into unconsciousness.

Ichigo wasn't sure how much later he began to feel the pain in his body again, but was sure that he would rather have remained unconscious rather than to experience it.

"F-fuck, that hurt!" he panted, trying to move, then stiffening as strong hands held him down.

"Lie still, asshole," growled a gruff, familiar voice, "You almost fucking bought it right there and took me with you. If you weren't unconscious, I would've trashed your ass!"

"Ugh...G-grimmjow?" Ichigo grunted, blinking and squinting.

"Who the hell'd you think it was, Santy Claus?" the sexta Espada snarled softly.

"I almost didn't recognize you in your kitty form," Ichigo chuckled weakly.

"You little prick!" Grimmjow snapped furiously, "It's not a goddamned _kitty_! It's Pantera! It's a panther, you know-nothing _moron_!"

"But why are you in resurreccìon form? Were you fighing?" Ichigo asked, sitting up too quickly, then grabbing his head and grunting in pain.

"Stay still, baka!" Grimmjow said irritably, "You just fell a really long way and almost used your head as your landing gear. Just take it easy, all right? And no, I wasn't fighting. I had to release my resurreccìon because some damned fool near blasted my head off as he fell down this hole!"

"What's with this place, anyway?" Ichigo mused, squinting and rubbing a rising bump on his head.

"What the fuck does it look like?" Grimmjow grumbled, "It's a damned hole!"

"I'd say it's more than just a hole," the Shiba heir said, peering around in the darkness, "The thing Yoruichi gave me to help me fly stopped working as soon as I passed over it. That's why I fell in."

"Yeah, it seems to interfere with our powers. My sonido crapped out while I was running across it and I fell down."

"Well, at least it's getting a little lighter. It was creepy being all dark like that before."

"It's not getting brighter, stupid," Grimmjow said dryly, "It's you. You're glowing."

"What?" Ichigo asked, scowling and looking down at his body, "WHAT THE HELL?"


	2. Endless Night

**Chapter 2: Endless Night**

**(Thanks so much to everyone fave-ing, following and reviewing my first Ichigo/Grimmy effort! My gratitude to Kami-no-Namida (Yeah, I just started and I wonder I didn't write something for these two sooner!), kyuumihaira (Lol, no need for sparkles here!), Anelir-sensei (I have to say I love Grimmy too! I can't wait for him to reappear in the manga.), SemeIchigoPlease (Oh yes, the Noble's General Council will have a 'kitty' over this! lol), MissLilly2012 (Heehee! Tetsuya will be fine, but everyone's going to have a pretty bad hangover in the morning and there will be some shock coming along very soon!), Bleach fandom (You are most welcome and here's that next update!), PlayMyPoisonousGame (Aw, thanks for the good wishes! I feel much better, but had to tangle with a nasty Trojan in my computer yesterday or I would have posted this sooner! Ah well...), Rhea (This is a fun pairing! I'll have to do more with them.), SunlessNights (Me too!), No Name (So glad you like it! And here's that update!), VareteInsomniac (Thanks so much and I'll keep the chapters rolling along.), blood87 (And heeeeere it is!), Lola (Heehee! Just wait, you'll see!), dramamelon (Fun, with a sie of yowling, biting and scratching!), IloveGiroro (I've gotcha covered!), lokivsanubis (The only other fic where I've had Grimmjow as a main character is Blue Crescent Moon, where he makes a surprisingly hot and liberating lover for the lovely Byakuya as they try to find the cure for a poison that is slowly killing all of the ones who went to Hueco Mundo to rescue Orihime, as well as all of the hollows! I think I'm going to be using him even more now!), and SCJ0263 (I also love the feisty exchanges they have...so much fun!) Enjoy the new chapter and the rest of Ichigo and Grimmy's birthday month! Love ya, Spunky)**

"Hey um, Ichigo, are you feeling all right?" Grimmjow asked anxiously, his feline eyes blinking slowly as he took in the strangely jolting view of the glowing Shiba heir.

"Are you crazy?" Ichigo cried, his hands touching his flickering form here and there and his eyes wide and growing more golden than brown, "Of course I'm not all right! I'm _glowing_, for kami's sake!"

"Y-yeah," the sexta Espada agreed, backing away, "I uh, noticed that. Look, you just...stay over there, okay? I'll leave you alone. You leave me alone, ne?"

"What do you mean, leave you alone? I'm not trying to do anything to you? I'm freaking out, here!"

"So, I take it you don't usually glow like this?" the hollow mused, arching an eyebrow.

"HELL NO! I don't usually glow like this. What do you think I am? A deep sea fish? Fuck no, I don't glow! HEY! Where are you going? Get back here and help me, damn it!"

"Help you?" Grimmjow repeated, "How the hell am I gonna help you? I don't know why you're glowing! You been doing weird drugs or some shit like that? Cause I'm telling you, this is really weird! Just, stop trying to get close to me, okay? I don't want any weird shit touching me!"

"I'm not trying to touch you. I just want you to see if you can figure out why I'm glowing!"

"I can do that without you touching me!" Grimmjow hissed, stepping back further, "Hey uh, Ichigo, you're getting real pale too. I think you're pretty sick."

"Oh, you think I'm sick now," Ichigo said dryly, "Give the guy a fucking medal! He's a genius! I know I'm sick. Damn it! It's gotta be that Cuckooketsu stuff that Tetsuya and Arashi got hung up in."

"What the fuck are you babbling about now? Are you delusional too?" Grimmjow asked, looking dismayed, "Cuckooketsu? What the hell is that?"

"Ah..." Ichigo panted, shivering as icy blades seemed to pass through him and he felt hot and cold at the same time, "It...it's s-some kinda creepy vite hollow..._v-vine _hollow."

"A...vine hollow," Grimmjow mused, scowling and thinking for a moment.

Suddenly, he stiffened and backed as far away as he could.

"Hey, Grimmjow, what's the matter?" Ichigo called after him, "What are you doing? I thought you were going to help me!"

"Help you? I can't help you!" shouted the sexta Espada, "If that thing transforms you, you're gonna...!"

"It didn't transform me. It just bit m-me on the ankle, see?" Ichigo said, exposing the swollen bite wound, "It d-didn't even s-suck..m-me...my b-blood!"

"HOLY HELL, GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU FREAK!" Grimmjow howled, scrambling away as Ichigo moved closer, "Stop following me, you fool! I don't want you to touch me, you hear? Get away or I'll kill you!"

"Wh-why are you y-yelling at me like th-that?" Ichigo asked dizzily, staggering after him.

"Back off! I mean it!" Grimmjow yelled, flattening against the stone wall.

"Sh-sheesh, okay, f-fine," Ichigo moaned, dropping to his knees and beginning to pant softly, "I feel too shitty to ch-chase you anyway. I f-feel awful!"

Grimmjow watched intently, his ice-blue eyes narrowing as the light around Ichigo flashed and pulsated ominously.

"Oh, this is _not _good," he muttered, his clawed hands feeling the wall behind him in a desperate search for an escape, "I don't even want to think of what will happen if that little shit's hollow form comes out. Let's just hope that..."

A haunted look overtook the sexta Espada's face as Ichigo crawled away and collapsed on the other side of the chamber, and his breaths took on a soft, eerie hissing sound.

"Oh man..."

The sound of the Shiba heir's sharp breaths echoed off the walls, bouncing about and seeming to strike the spooked hollow from all directions.

"I am so fucked! Why'd it have to be today? Why'd I have to fall down this stinking hole?" Grimmjow panted, crouching down and trying to shrink into what shadows he could find, "Okay, okay, I've just gotta calm down here. I mean, he'll probably forget I was here. He's out of it, so I stay hidden and he just rolls around making funny noises for a while. Yeah, he won't even know I'm here, right?"

The sexta Espada remained down on all fours as the noises from across the chamber continued, then deepened in their pitch and in their malevolence, making a hard chill go through the cringing hollow's belly.

"Damn!"

The light around Ichigo flashed brightly several more times, then flickered fitfully and went out.

"Wh-what?" Grimmjow whispered breathlessly, "Is that supposed to happen?"

Freezing in place, he held his breath as the hissing sound of Ichigo's troubled respirations was joined with the soft scraping of movement.

_Damn it! He's moving. But...with all of the echoing in here, I can't tell exactly where he is!_

"Heh, heh, heh!" laughed the wispy, mocking voice of Ichigo's inner hollow, "I know you're there. Why don't you just come out and fight like a man? But wait, you're not a man, are you? No, not really."

Grimmjow gritted his teeth, trying hard to suppress an indignant growl at the taunting words.

"No, you're not a man, you're a harmless, sweet little kitty!" the hollow's voice went on.

"Little fucker," Grimmjow said beneath his breath, "I'll make you pay for that. We get outta here and I'm fucking you up good for that. That's twice you've insulted my resurreccìon!"

"Heh, heh, heh," Ichigo's hollow laughed again as it crept towards the tensed Espada, "You can't hide from me...not for long, anyway. But how can I lure you out? Should I put out a bowl of milk, little pussy?"

"Oh, now you're starting to really piss me off!" Grimmjow breathed fiercely, "_One _more time with that shit, Ichigo, and I'm..."

"How about this?" the approaching hollow offered, his voice seeming to close in from all sides, _"Here kitty, kitty_!"

Grimmjow rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed huff of breath.

"Like _that's_ going to work!"

"No? Then maybe..._this_!"

The air went suddenly icy, chillingly silent and still, freezing the blood in Grimmjow's veins as he peered into the blackness, trying desperately to sense any movement or sound.

_Where did he go?_

_Where...?_

A frightened yowl escaped him as Ichigo's deathly pale form appeared suddenly in front of him, dragged him onto his feet and shoved him back hard against the stone wall of the chamber.

"Oh, _there_ you are," Ichigo's hollow laughed, its golden eyes transfixing him instantly, "What to do, now that I've got you. What to do...what to do!"

XXXXXXXXXX

_I hope Tetsuya feels better now, _Rikichi thought, putting the last touches on the tea he was preparing, _He was so restless before I placed that sleep kido on him. And if Kuchiki taichou hadn't warned me about the glowing, I would have been pretty scared. Poor Tetsuya is really out of it and I feel pretty out of sorts too. But some soothing tea ought to help me get sleepy. And if he wakes up again, I'll have some ready for him too._

He paused, taking in a quick, surprised breath as the kitchen light went out, plunging the room into darkness.

"What the...? Oh, the power must have gone out," Rikichi sighed, "What a bother..."

He started to turn, then was forced roughly back against the counter, sending the teapot, cups and tea flying in all directions. A moment later, his mouth was ferociously invaded by an icy, probing tongue and Tetsuya's slender, naked body pressed up against his provocatively.

"T-tetsuya!" Rikichi gasped around his boyfriend's marauding tongue, "Oh!"

Freezing rain began to drip onto him and he felt his yukata being torn open, then Tetsuya's strong hands gripped and positioned him for their joining.

"_Tetsuya!_" he moaned helplessly, his heart pounding nearly out of his chest the raindrops that touched him all over took on the feel of the noble's satin tongue, licking their way along his flesh as they ran downward. He was so distracted by the lovely feel of it, he barely registered the cold fingers that invaded his nether region, hastily preparing him. But there was no escaping the gemlike eyes, once blue, but now turned golden, that entrapped him and held him tightly as he was lifted onto the counter, his thighs pushed wide and his body lovingly possessed.

"OH!" Rikichi gasped, going silent as Tetsuya's senseless eyes enslaved his, sending a strangely calm feeling through him that caused his tensed body to relax and to move reflexively with his lover's. He lost all sense of where he was and what was happening. All that reached him then was the thrill of their undulating bodies, and the pleasure that rose inside them and finally exploded into waves of sweet, blinding ecstasy.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Let me go, you crazy son of a bitch!" Grimmjow yelled as viselike hands gripped him tightly and Ichigo's possessed body pressed up against his and rubbed in a rough, circular motion.

The sexta Espada gasped at the intensity of lovely friction the motion caused and the swell of arousal that began to overtake him.

"Aw shit!" he panted, feeling his resistance wavering as Ichigo's hard golden eyes captured his, and the Espada felt electric jolts freeze his body in place, "Oh, what the hell...!"

His chest heaved and a chill sweat broke out on his fevered skin as the provocative rubbing continued and Ichigo's wicked eyes seemed to bore down inside him, stopping the Espada's resisting and bringing about a grudging surrender.

"F-fuck!" Grimmjow panted, his head turning this way and that and his own eyes glazing over as he began to lose awareness.

"That's a good kitty," Ichigo's hollow purred, running the fingers of one hand through the stunned Espada's lengthened blue hair and fanged teeth biting teasingly at this throat, while his other hand freed Grimmjow from his clothing and hastily prepared him, "I'm gonna make you feel real good now!"

Under the enthralling grip of the creeping vine's venom the two lost all semblance of resistance, falling together onto the sand and Grimmjow tumbling onto his belly, raising his feline hips scandalously into the air as the penetrating fingers finished preparing him and Ichigo moved into position behind him.

Grimmjow loosed a vicious, snarling yowl of heated arousal as Ichigo moved, plunging deeply into his body and barely pausing before embarking on a series of hard, grinding thrusts that were met with mixed grunts, fluttering moans and some odd vocalizations that vacillated between hisses, snarls and rumbling purring. Ichigo's hand gripped the sexta Espada's pale hips tightly, his glaring eyes taking in the wickedly enchanting sight of the overcome Grimmjow, lifting his bottom wantonly and pressing back into each heavy thrust, his blue eyes infected with flecks of golden and his senses pleasantly scrambled.

"R-r-r-rwl-l-l!" the Espada howled, reeling as the desire for completion rose up and drowned out everything else.

He turned and threw down the attacking hollow, then spread his shaking thighs and mounted him, biting hard at Ichigo's equally hungry mouth as he rose and fell on the possessed shinigami's length. A feline scream of delight escaped Grimmjow's parted lips as their bodies contracted together, then pulses of melting heat began to fill him inside. Heavy throbs of pleasure overcame him completely then, and he disappeared into the muted cacophony of their ringing finishing cries, plunging down into blackness as their sated bodies collapsed into a senseless tangle.

XXXXXXXXXX

"O-oh!" Tetsuya gasped, his eyes cracking open, then squinting in the oddly bright light, "Oh, I feel horrible!"

Flickers of pain echoed everywhere as he disentangled himself from Rikichi's motionless body and sat up. He blinked in surprise at finding the two of them, naked and collapsed on the cold, hard kitchen floor.

"Wh-what in kami's name...?" he whispered, scratching the back of his aching neck and trying to make sense of what was happening.

In front of him, Rikichi stirred and groaned, then his eyes flew open and he scrambled onto his hands and knees, barely reaching the nearby trash bin before being taken with hard jolts of sickness.

"Rikichi, are you all right?" Tetsuya managed, crawling to his lover's side and wrapping his arm around the other young man's bowed body.

Rikichi gave no answer, only bowing more deeply and expelling more sickness. He panted and shivered, then raised himself slightly and collapsed against Tetsuya's naked shoulder.

"It must have been quite a bad night," Tetsuya said sympathetically, running his fingers through Rikichi's soft hair and teasing the pretty beads around his earlobe, "I don't remember anything after being brought back from Hueco Mundo. Thank you for taking care of me, but...would you like me to bring a healer?"

"N-no," Rikichi sighed weakly, "I'll be fine now. I just...I don't know what happened, but I'll be okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Mmhmm," mumbled the sleepy youth, groaning again as Tetsuya brought them both up onto quivering legs.

"I think we'll need more rest," Tetsuya suggested, picking up his lover's fallen yukata and draping it around Rikichi's softly trembling body as they leaned against each other and stumbled past the fallen teapot and cups, and down the hallway to their bedroom.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Itsy-go?"

Ichigo cringed as the voice invaded his aching head and rattled painfully around inside.

"Itsy-go, are you alive?"

"Ugh! O-oh! N-nel, is that you?" the Shiba heir moaned discomfitedly.

"Uh-huh," the little hollow confirmed, breaking into a relieved smile, "Are you okay, Itsy-go? Nel was worried."

"Ah!" Ichigo gasped as he moved and fresh waves of pain struck all over his shaky body, "I-I'm okay, I think. Just...just give me a sec."

He panted harshly against mingled aches and a feeling of intense nausea.

"Wow, Itsy-go looks really pale. That bite made Itsy-go really sick, and Itsy-go fell in that cold hole and had to wait for hours and hours while no one knew he was lost in there!"

"Eh...thanks for the recap," Ichigo chuckled wearily, blinking and looking around.

He laid on his back on the sand, next to a recently filled hole, "Um...who filled in the hole?"

"Nel made Bawabawa do it," the hollow reported, "It was a magical hole that a spider hollow made to trap things. Itsy-go was lucky that she got here before the spider hollow came back to eat Itsy-go!"

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed sleepily, "Thanks again, Nel. But how did you find me?"

"Erm..." the toddler said, shifting slightly and glancing over her shoulder, "Grimmjow said he saw Itsy-go in there and said bad words and told Nel to come and get Itsy-go the hell out. Then, he said more bad words and stomped away."

"Oh."

"Is Itsy-go feeling better now?"

"Yeah, thanks. But I've gotta go. I'm in for it with my old man. I guess I missed that stupid meeting. Well, at least I put off getting married for another day."

Ichigo staggered to his feet and turned towards the crossover point that would take him back to the Seireitei.

"See ya later, Nel."

"Um...okay, Itsy-go. Bye!"

The little hollow blinked as she watched Ichigo disappear into the distance.

"Found ya!" Pesche and Dondachakka yelled, rising up behind her.

The two paused as Nel ignored them and continued to look in the direction Ichigo had gone.

"You okay, Nel-sama?" Donachakka asked, looking worried.

"Uh-huh, but Nel is confused."

"Oh?" said Pesche, "about what?"

"Well, Grimmjow was with Itsy-go all night, taking care of him for the hollow-vine bite, but he yelled at Nel not to tell Itsy-go anything about that. Nel wonders why."

Pesche and Dondachakka exchanged uncomfortable glances as Nel observed them for a moment, then broke into a wide, knowing smile.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, engaging her sonido, "_Grimmjow and Itsy-go sitting in a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g! First comes love, then comes marriage, then come babies in a baby carriage!"_

"You'd better not let Grimmjow hear you say that!" laughed Pesche as he and Dondachakka joined her in another loud chorus.


	3. Secret Inside

**Chapter 3: Secret Inside**

**(Oh boy, things are about to pop! Thanks going out to everyone faveing and following and to awesome, sweet reviewers AboveLove (Yup, it's a yaoi-loving girl's dream!), Cody Zik (The wait's almost over, then the real fun begins!), Mrs. Passionate (Heehee! Jaws will drop and heads are about to roll!), Picklez80 (LOL, I had that same reaction!), KillerQueen (LOL, hope you are okay after laughing so hard.), No name (I like having several relationships that play out and contrast each other. It makes the story more fun!), kyuumihaira (Ichigo's going to be floored and Grimmjow, well, I don't want to be around when he figures this out!), alabirdie (There will be more fireworks than the fourth of July when everyone realizes!), SemeIchigoPlease (LOL, I always have random issues. Trouble follows me, what can I say? :) Glad you are enjoying the story!), Anelir-sensei (These two are really, really fun to write. WHY DIDN'T I DO THIS BEFORE?), Blood87 (You are sooooo very welcome!), SCJ0263 (Ah yes! Ichigo and Hichigo will have a little...ahem...discussion soon about what happened that night!), lokivsanubis (Oh, the noble houses are about to be rocked!), IloveGiroro (You've got it! And more is on the way!), andrzyna (And here you go!), Aria6 (Oh, yes, Spunky has just the plan for that!), rhea (I love Nel too! And believe me, Grimmjow will be livid when he realizes...and Nel and her fraccion figure things out and start teasing him!), and Lola (Will do! I will keep the updates rolling!) Enjoy the chapter! Love, Spunky)  
**

(One Month Later)

"Good morning, Ichigo-sama," Toshi greeted the Shiba heir as Ichigo opened his eyes and blinked slowly, several times, before realizing what day it was and scowling irascibly.

The dark-haired attendant's sympathetic brown eyes met his and Toshi's smile faded slightly.

"I've brought you breakfast, sir."

"Don't you mean, my last meal?" Ichigo sighed, accepting the tray of food and picking at it disinterestedly.

_I'm getting married today._

_It would be great if it was someone I actually wanted to spend my life with, but this..._

"Good morning, Ichigo, a deeper voice said from the doorway.

The Shiba heir looked up and found his father standing in the bedroom doorway, observing him appraisingly.

_He's different since we moved to Soul Society and he went back to his clan, _Ichigo noted, _He's more serious...a lot less dorky and sometimes he looks like he has some regrets._

"I thought we could talk for a little bit while you have breakfast and get dressed," Isshin offered.

"What's to talk about?" Ichigo asked in a defeated tone, "I'm doing what they want. I'm getting married."

"Yeah, I got that," Isshin acknowledged solemnly, "I'm not here to convince you that this is the right thing or anything. It isn't about that. The reason I thought we should talk is...well, I wanted to remind you of something."

Oh? What's that?"

"Ichigo, I know you don't want to get married. I would understand if you thought you would never fell in love with Eri. But you should remember that...you know, your mother and I didn't actually get together because we wanted to. She got hurt protecting me, and then I gave up being a shinigami, became human and married her because I owed her for saving me."

Ichigo gave him a skeptical look.

"I thought you said you did it because you saw her naked and she was hot," the younger Shiba said, crossing his arms, "So which one is it?"

Isshin shook his head and placed his hands on Ichigo's shoulders.

"Son, if it was just that she was hot, we wouldn't have gotten through the first week. Making a future with someone you didn't plan to be with can be difficult. When stuff comes up, when things go wrong, if you don't keep yourself open to the other person with you, if you don't let them into your heart, you're going to be lonely and unhappy."

"And you think I don't know that?"

"I know you know it. But right now, I can tell you're angry about having a wife picked for you. And if you let on to Eri how much it bothers you, it's going to hurt her that she put you in that position."

"But Eri didn't make this happen," Ichigo objected, "She didn't choose me any more than I chose her! I wouldn't blame her."

"That's good. I didn't figure you would. Still, she might blame herself. There are going to be some confusing feelings between you and you can let it get between you or you can stick together and work around that. Your mom and I chose to stick together and support each other through the rough times, and we did fall in love. I'm not saying you and Eri will or won't. You're different people than your mom and me, but..."

Ichigo's expression softened slightly and he let out a soft sigh.

"I hear what you're saying, and I'll try, okay? Look, can we just go, please?"

The two paused as a hell butterfly arrived and Renji's voice floated out of it.

_Hey Ichigo, Byakuya, Tetsuya and I won't be able to attend the ceremony today, because all hell's breaking loose over here. Both Byakuya and Rikichi collapsed and had to be taken to the fourth division. They're in quarantine and being assessed right now, so we don't know what's up. I will let you know what we find out._

"I hope they're all right. I'll go over after the ceremony and check in with them," Ichigo sighed, his frown deepening, "And so, just about none of my friends will be at my wedding to someone I'm not in love with. Whatever. Come on, let's go."

"I'm sorry, son," Isshin said sincerely.

"Yeah, I know. Let's go."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Whoa!" cried Pesche, ducking as several large items came flying out of Nel's cave, nearly striking the two as they whizzed by.

"Yii!" howled Dondachakka, throwing himself down on the sand to escape the flying debris.

Nel stood nearby, watching and shaking her head.

"Grimmjow is in a really bad mood," she sighed, shaking her head and crossing her arms, "I think he's broken half of Nel's dishes and things."

"Should we try to stop him?" Dondachakka asked, shivering at the notion, "He's really mad."

"I'm not going back in there!" Pesche said, ducking as more things flew by and Grimmjow's voice rose up, expelling a seething bout of colorful expletives and Pesche put his hands gently over Nel's ears.

"Someone needs to wash his mouth out with soap," commented Dondachakka.

"Someone needs more to go in and knock him out," Pesche added.

"Maybe Nel should try to talk to Grimmjow again. Grimmjow said his tummy hurt and Grimmjow threw up a lot. Nel is worried."

"Yeah, well as long as he's still shouting like that and throwing things, we should stay right here," Pesche insisted, "Why'd you let him stay here anyway? He has a place of his own..."

"Nel was worried about Grimmjow because Grimmjow wasn't feeling well so much, so Nel asked Grimmjow to stay."

"Well, it looks like he stopped yelling and throwing things," Donachakka observed.

"Yeah," agreed Pesche, "I don't hear a thing."

"Nel wonders if Grimmjow is okay. Nel is going to look," the toddler hollow said, her lip quivering and her eyes watering.

The three crept back into the cave, Nel raising a kido light to help them see. They paused as they reached the sexta Espada's collapsed and panting form and Nel bent over him and examined him briefly.

"Is he all right?" Pesche asked, frowning, "He's breathing, but he looks all sweaty and pale."

"Grimmjow's belly looks funny too," observed Nel, "I think there's a little bump on it."

The two fraccìon stared in silence as Nel touched Grimmjow's belly and blinked in surprise.

"What is it?" asked Donachakka in a scared voice, "Is there something bad in him?"

"Yii! We'd better get out of here!" cried Pesche, "Come on!"

"No, wait," Nel said, smiling as she touched Grimmjow's belly again, "Nel knows what's wrong with Grimmjow!"

"Huh?" the two fraccìon mused, looking mystified.

"Grimmjow has a _baby_ in his tummy!"

"What?" Pesche cried.

"But I thought Grimmjow was a boy," Dondachakka said, looking confused, "I _know _he has a..."

Pesche slapped a hand over his friend's mouth.

"Hey. don't talk like that in front of Nel-sama. And anyway, I know he's a boy. I've seen _it_ too."

"When did you see it? When were you looking at Grimmjow naked?" Dondachakka asked.

"I wasn't _trying_ to see him naked!" Pesche snapped, "He was in the hot spring in his cave and I was there giving him a message form Nel-sama and..."

"Well, whatever, but...what do we do?"

The three turned their heads, looking down at Grimmjow as the sexta Espada groaned, swore and lifted his head enough to throw up, before collapsing again.

"Aw," Nel sighed, patting her blue-haired friend gently on the hair, "Poor Grimmjow. Nel will take care of you."

"Ugh..." Pesche said in an undertone, "She might be taking care of him, but I hope _we _don't have to be cleaning up after him..."

XXXXXXXXXX

"How are Byakuya-sama and Rikichi doing?" Tetsuya asked quickly as Kotetsu Isane entered the waiting are in the quarantine section, "Have you found anything? Any reason why they collapsed and became so ill?"

"Both are in stable condition for now," Isane assured the blue-eyed noble and the red-haired taichou beside him, "and the samples we took from them and you showed no sign of any dangerous contamination. Do either of you feel ill? Abarai taichou, you look a bit pale."

"Yeah, I've had a stomach ache all morning and I feel kind of dizzy. Do you think I'm getting it too?" Renji asked worriedly.

"I don't know, but we should get you into a treatment room," the healer suggested.

"Kotestu fukutaichou!" called Hanatarou from just outside the room.

"What is it?" Isane called back to him.

"Is Tetsuya-san with you?"

"I am here," Tetsuya answered, "What do you need, Hanatarou-kun?"

"Tetsuya-san, it's your Arashi! He just collapsed outside the division."

"Hanatarou-kun, have him brought into the quarantine section at once!" Isane ordered.

"Oh man," Renji sighed, brushing the sweat from his forehead, "This is getting bad, isn't it?"

"Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of it," Isane promised, "Now, can you tell me if any of you have recently been sick or maybe exposed to anything...a...a plant, a medication, a sick person or a weird hollow, anything like that?"

"W-well," Tetsuya said, frowning, "Arashi and I were attacked by a Kyuuketsu-ho hollow about a month ago. Renji-san, Byakuya-sama, Rikichi and Rukia-chan were all there to rescue us. Ichigo-sama came along too."

"Ah," Isane said, nodding, "I have dealt with those before. Were any of you bitten?"

"Arashi and I were bitten," Tetsuya confirmed.

"So were Byakuya and I," Renji added, "but it was so minor that we didn't notice until later, when we got back and got undressed."

"I see," said the healer, "And do you remember there being any odd symptoms?"

"Well, Byakuya told me that it would make us pale and cold, and that we'd glow and, well, you know," Renji said, blushing, "we um..."

"You engaged in coitus?" Isane asked, her face reddening.

"Y-yeah," Renji laughed nervously, "quite a lot of it. But Byakuya said it was okay and would wear off. Was he wrong?"

"No, he was right about that, but...do any of you know if the creeping vine was flowering?"

Tetsuya and Renji exchanged curious frowns as they strained to remember, then Tetsuya nodded.

"I remember glowing flowers on the vine," he recalled.

"Ah," Isane said, looking relieved, "Hanatarou-kun, you may lift the quarantine."

"What?" Renji mused, "You mean, you know what's wrong with Byakuya and the others and me?"

Isane smiled.

"Eh, can you tell me which of you all...erm..._received seed_ from another of you?"

"Ah!" Tetsuya gasped, flushing, "W-well, it was strange. You see, I usually, um...I don't like to..."

"Penetrate your partner?" Isane provided mercifully.

"Y-yes," Tetsuya went on, "I'm usually not comfortable doing that, but after we came back that time from Hueco Mundo, for the first time I...did _that_ with Rikichi."

Renji smirked.

"Byakuya and I don't remember much of that night, but apparently, we took turns," he chuckled.

"And Arashi?" Isane inquired.

"H-he was in the barn with Byakuya-sama's Ikazuchi and Renji's mount, Yakkaigoto," Tetsuya supplied.

"Ah," Isane smiled, "I see. I think I have this figured out."

"You do?" Renji said, "That's great! What's wrong with everyone? And why did you cancel the quarantine?"

"There's no need for a quarantine because none of you are really sick," the healer concluded.

"What?" Tetsuya and Renji queried, looking mystified.

"You are not sick," Isane repeated, "If the vine was flowering, it was in its mating season. And that means that anyone who _received seed _from someone who was bitten...is pregnant!"

"Oh!" Tetsuya and Renji mouthed, their jaws dropping.

Then, realization spread over the redhead's face and he dropped to the floor at his surprised friend's feet.

"Renji-san!" Tetsuya cried.

"It's all right," Isane laughed, "He'll be fine. They'll all be fine, Tetsuya-san. Don't worry."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Ichigo, Eri," the head elder of the Noble's General Council said, nodding at the couple and gently binding their hands together with a white, silken scarf, "as you have taken your vows and made your promises to each other, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you..."

The elder paused and the gathered nobles stared in surprise, then dismay as a bright white light flared around the couple's bound hands and the scarf unwrapped itself and slipped to the floor.

"Ah!" Ichigo said anxiously, "Hey, what's wrong? What was that?"

The head elder stared back at the Shiba heir, his eyes widening.

"Shiba Ichigo," he said sternly, "Why didn't you tell this gathering that you had already conceived the Shiba heir with someone else?"

"Wh-what? I haven't made a baby with anyone!" Ichigo objected, "I've never even had sex with anyone! How could I make a baby?"

"But the signs are clear," the head elder insisted, looking down at the fallen scarf, "The ritual of binding only fails like that if one or both of you have already conceived the heir to your clan."

"I've never...done that either!" insisted Eri, exchanging confused looks with Ichigo.

"I am sorry," the head elder concluded, "This wedding cannot go forward. I think there must be an inquiry into this."

"Well, you're not going to find anything, because I didn't have sex with anyone!" Ichigo yelled, blushing as he remembered he was in front of a huge crowd of gathered nobles, "I don't know why this happened, and I'm sorry, Eri. I will find out why there was this reaction."

"It's all right," Eri said, looking relieved, "I will look into it as well."

"This meeting is adjourned," said the head councilor, "pending further investigation."

Ichigo fled to his father's side and the two ducked out a side door.

"What the hell is going on, Dad?" Ichigo asked, looking dismayed, "I mean, I'm not unhappy the wedding didn't happen. I'm pretty relieved, actually. And I think Eri is too, but what the hell's going on? Why did that happen?"

"I don't know, son," Isshin said, scratching the back of his neck, "Are you sure it's like you said? You're a vir..."

"Yeah!" Ichigo snapped, "I've never had sex with anyone. So what? Is that a problem?"

"Uh, no," Isshin answered, stifling a chuckle, "I just...erm...was surprised."

"Shut up!" Ichigo snapped irritably, "The thing is, I need to know why that happened. Something weird's going on."

"Ichigo-sama!" cried Toshi, flash stepping to join the Shiba leader and heir.

The attendant paused, panting as he worked to catch his breath.

"What is it, Toshi?"

"Word just came from the fourth division that several of the people that went to Hueco Mundo last month to find Tetsuya-san were bitten by a hollow there and have made each other pregnant!"

"What?" Isshin and Ichigo exclaimed.

"K-kotetsu fukutaichou needs to know if you were bitten and if you have been feeling sick or if you were with someone, if they feel sick."

Ichigo froze, staring straight ahead of him.

_Oh my kami, when I woke up, Nel was there! I couldn't have...with Nel..._

The Shiba heir stiffened and his eyes rounded.

"Son, are you all right?" Isshin asked, "Is there something you need to tell me?"

_Oh...!_

_Oh no!_

_She said Grimmjow found me._

_That...that can't be._

_I didn't._

_I can't have..._

_NO FUCKING WAY!_

"Ichigo?" Isshin queried in a worried tone, "Are you all right?"

"I...I'm fine I just...I've gotta go."

"What? Where are you going? Toshi just asked you..."

"I know. I have to go! I'll be back."

"Ichigo!" Isshin called after him, "Ichigo!"

He gave a long sigh and shook his head, frowning.

"S-sir, should we go after him?" Toshi asked.

"Naw," Isshin said, shaking his head, "He'll be back."

He glanced in the direction Ichigo had gone.

"Kids..." he muttered, flash stepping away and leaving Ichigo's befuddled attendant looking after him.


	4. That Awkward Moment When

**Chapter 4: That Awkward Moment When...**

Where are you, you bastard?" Ichigo shouted, standing on the side of a tall skyscraper in his inner world and looking around, "I know you're in here somewhere, now come out!"

"Tch, look who's in a bad mood today," the Shiba heir's inner hollow answered mockingly, "Did you forget to eat breakfast again?"

"That's not it," Ichigo grumbled, flash stepping to where the spirit stood, "Something happened and I think you know about it."

"What are you talking about?" the spirit asked in an off-handed tone. The only time I'm even aware when you're not is when I take over, usually because you've lost consciousness in the middle of a fight. Your will's gotten stronger. I can't take over so easily like I used to. But you know that."

"Yeah, but I'm wondering about something that seems to have happened at a time where I was...I don't know, either unconscious or just not aware."

"When would this have been?" the spirit asked, narrowing his golden eyes.

"About a month ago," Ichigo remembered, "I was in Hueco Mundo and bitten by that strange creeping vine thing."

"I remember the vine," confirmed the pale spirit, "and I do remember feeling dizzy and having strange visions."

"Visions? Visions like what?" Ichigo demanded.

"That's kinda private, isn't it? Do you really _want _to know what I dream about?"

"Not usually, no!" Ichigo answered honestly, "But this is different."

"Well, maybe I don't feel like telling you what goes on in my head, you know?" the hollow argued.

"You know what? I don't care what you _feel like_!" Ichigo steamed, "This is important! You need to tell me what you dreamed about while you were out of it."

"I'll tell you if you'll tell me what _you _dreamed while _you _were out of it that time," countered the spirit, "After all, fair is fair."

"But I don't remember anything! I was totally out after I fell in the hole and started to get dizzy. Everything just went dark. I didn't dream anything. But you did. So, tell me what you dreamed! Was it about a person? Did it involve Grimmjow?"

"What?" mused the spirit, "Why are you asking me that?"

"Just answer the question, will you, you jerk! Did you dream about having sex with Grimmjow or not!"

"Now, you're being really perverted," the hollow said appreciatively, "It's about time..."

"Would you knock it off and just tell me?" Ichigo fumed.

"All right, all right, don't give yourself a heart attack or anything. Yeah, if you really want to know. I had a dream about that cat-hollow. Who wouldn't? Especially in that cute kitty-form, _Pantera_. Who wouldn't want to nail that..."

"Ugh! Stop..."

"You said you wanted to know," the spirit teased him, "You sure you don't want to know all of the steamy details?"

"That's the last thing I want, but tell me anyway," Ichigo said unhappily.

"Ooh, you _are _getting more perverted," the spirit gushed, looking impressed, "All right, you want details? It was in a dark place, where he didn't have a place to hide and he couldn't get away. I stalked him for a few minutes, but then his scent got to me and I got hard..."

"Less detail, please," Ichigo pleaded, looking sick.

"I cornered him and stroked that pretty, long blue hair and bit him a few times while I tore his clothes off."

"Oh man..." Ichigo muttered, "You...?"

"After a few kisses, he got down on all fours for me and I..."

"All right! That's enough already!" Ichigo shouted, "Just...just shut up and let me think, okay?"

"What are you worried about?" asked the hollow spirit, "It was just a dream."

"It wasn't just a dream," said a deeper voice.

"Zangetsu!" Ichigo exclaimed, turning to face the elder male spirit.

"Why do you still call _him _Zangetsu? I'm the real Zangetsu."

"Sorry," Ichigo said hastily, "That's right. You're both Zangetsu, but I'm used to calling him that. Anyway, you said that _he_ wasn't dreaming?"

"No," Zangetsu stated with certainty.

"Wait, if we were out and didn't remember things, why do you remember?" Ichigo asked, frowning.

"It isn't that I _remember_, but I know the difference in the way our dreams felt. While you were unaware, your inner hollow was in control of your body, but not his own senses."

"Oh my kami..." Ichigo breathed, putting a hand to his forehead, "We did it! We had sex with Grimmjow, didn't we?"

"Whoa, that makes it a lot better!" laughed the hollow spirit.

"Shut up! It does not!" Ichigo complained, shaking his head, "Because the elders said that the Shiba heir was conceived, you asshole! You fucking impregnated Grimmjow, didn't you?"

"It looks that way," the white hollow giggled madly, "although technically, _you _are the one who impregnated him."

"Ugh, stop it! I need to think," Ichigo said, sitting down on the side of the building.

"Ichigo," Zangetsu said solemnly, "There is little to think about. If you have impregnated that hollow, you know it violates the old rules of Soul Society. And while the war with the quincies did soften attitudes towards hollows within the Seireitei, this is going to cause some reactions within your clan and the noble's council that may make a dangerous situation."

"Yeah, I figured that," Ichigo sighed, "But that's not what I'm most worried about."

"It's not?" said the hollow spirit, looking surprised, "Then, what is?"

"The rules of the noble's council say that I have to marry the heir's mother. If Grimmjow is pregnant with the heir, and the council finds out, which they probably will, then they'll force Grimmjow and me to get married."

"If they don't just decide to kill Grimmjow," Zangetsu said darkly, "You will be at the mercy of the Noble's General Council and Central 46."

"But if a hollow is killed with a shinigami blade, the soul is cleansed and sent to Soul Society," Ichigo remembered.

"That doesn't sound so bad," the hollow spirit offered, "You could marry him then, ne?"

"Yeah, it's just...if a shinigami kills Grimmjow and sends him to the Rukongai, first of all, he won't remember being a hollow and second, there are so many districts on all sides of the Seireitei, there's no guarantee we would be able to find him."

"Well, Ichigo, the noble's council was able to sense the heir before," Zangetsu offered, "Maybe they will be able to help you find him...if that should happen."

"I don't want that to happen," Ichigo said in a haunted voice, "Can you imagine? I mean...Grimmjow is who he is because he became a hollow. He may not like being a hollow, but it's going to freak him out completely thinking he'll lose his memories of being a hollow. That'll be scary as hell. I can't do that to him!"

"But if the heir can be sensed and tracked, the noble's council will probably have him hunted, Ichigo," Zangetsu concluded.

"They'll hunt him down?" Ichigo said weakly, "Shit..."

His heart pounded madly and his head spun as he tried to think of a solution.

"Well, if that's the case," he said finally, "then there's only one thing I can do."

"What's that?" asked the hollow spirit.

"I have to find Grimmjow first and protect him!"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Rikichi," Tetsuya called softly, stroking his lover's cheek gently and squeezing his hand, making the younger man stir sluggishly and open his wide brown eyes.

"Tetsuya?"

"You're going to be fine," Tetsuya assured him, kissing his fingertips, "But you did lose consciousness and I had to bring you to the fourth division for evalutaion."

"But you say it's all right?" Rikichi mused sleepily, running his fingers through his hair with his free hand, "So, why did I pass out?"

Tetsuya's smile warmed and his eyes gleamed happily.

"You've been feeling ill lately and you passed out because...well, when I was bitten by that vine hollow and..."

The blue-eyed noble broke off, blushing.

"And you finally took me?" Rikichi provided, blushing and smiling.

"Yes," Tetsuya went on, "Because the vine hollow was flowering when it bit us and was in it's mating season, when I made love to you, it caused changes in your body that, while not harmful, have allowed you to become pregnant."

Tetsuya laughed softly at the adorably confused look that crossed Rikichi's face and he pulled the surprised youth into his arms.

"You're going to have our baby!" Tetsuya said happily.

Rikichi looked down at his slim belly with that same confused expression, then touched the area experimentally with his hand. Tetsuya's hand touched the back of his and the blue-eyed noble let a trickle of his reiatsu leak through Rikichi's hand and into his abdomen. The two watched raptly as a gentle blue glow rose around their joined hands and the area where the baby grew. Rikichi's eyes grew misted and he blinked to clear them.

"Is this all right with you?" Tetsuya asked.

"Is it all right with me?" Rikichi repeated, still sounding slightly dazed, "This is a dream come true, Tetsuya! Gomen nasai, I know my eyes are crying, but I am very, very happy!"

"I am as well," Tetsuya agreed, kissing his overwhelmed boyfriend on the cheek, "But I must also tell you that noble children are not supposed to be born out of wedlock. I don't care about that rule so much, but I am very much in love with you, Rikichi. And if it will make you happy, I want to know if you will marry me."

A sob of happiness escaped Rikichi and he dragged Tetsuya onto the bed, offering his enthusiastic answer as he buried his lover's mouth in a flurry of pleased kisses.

"Ahem," said a male voice from the doorway, making the two hastily separate and Tetsuya return to his seat by the bed as Byakuya and Renji entered the room, followed by Kotetsu Isane.

"What have I told you about public displays of affection, soldier?" Renji scolded Rikichi jokingly.

"S-sorry, Abarai taichou, it's just that Tetsuya made me so happy, I forgot about _everything_!"

"That's what you get for having a pretty noble boyfriend, ne?" the redhead chuckled, squeezing Byakuya's hand and earning a smoky look of approval, "But how did he make you so happy?"

Tetsuya blushed and lowered his eyes.

"I've asked Rikichi if he will marry me," he said shyly, stealing a glance at his cousin, who surprised him with a warm smile, "I hope that we will have your blessing, Byakuya-sama."

"Of course," the clan leader answered, "I am happy for you, Tetsuya."

"I hope you guys don't mind sharing the spotlight, cause Byakuya and I are getting married too," Renji announced.

"Is it true that both of you are with child?" Tetsuya asked.

"It is," Byakuya confirmed.

"Man, I think those stuffy elders are going to faint when they hear. They're probably going to regret trying so hard to get Byakuya to have an heir. We're going to have heirs coming out of our ears!"

"Are we likely to have multiples?" Rikichi asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

"It is strongly possible," Isane explained, "You see, there is first, the fact that the Kuchiki family has incidences of twins. Add to that, the powerful procreative factors in the venom of that vine, because when the vampire vine mates, each bite on its mate can spawn numerous flowerings. In addition to that, strong reiatsu involved in the coupling will heighten the procreative effect. Yes, multiples are going to be a strong likelihood."

"W-well, how many babies are we talking about?" Renji asked, his brashness fading slightly, "Are we going to get really big? Could there be too many and we'll explode or something?"

"Oh, no, nothing like that!" Isane said hastily, "You and Byakuya were only bitten once each, although your powerful reiatsu will encourage more offspring.. Tetsuya-san is taichou level, and was bitten in several places, so Rikichi-san may have more offspring, but you needn't worry. All of the babies will remain in reiatsu form, so there is no danger of them being too large for your bodies to manage. The greatest concern will be nutrition. All of the babies and the bearers must be properly nourished, so I will prescribe you some vitamin injections that will..."

"Whoa, hold on a sec, i-injections?" Renji queried, paling.

"Really Renji," Byakuya sighed reprovingly.

"Can't we just eat more?" the redhead pleaded, "I swear, I'll eat anything you say!"

"I am sorry, Abarai taichou," Isane said penitently, "But if you actually ate enough to nourish yourself and your babies, you _would _explode."

"Oh man..."

"In addition to the nutritive boosters, you will need to keep the bearers' bodies in balance. Tetsuya-san and Rikichi-san will have an easier time maintaining this balance, as Tetsuya-san was not impregnated. But all of you should be able to manage it just fine. I will see you here once a week to check your progress and administer the nutritive boosters."

"A fucking shot every week?" Renji said weakly.

"Yes, and we'll start them now," Isane said, taking out a basket, holding several syringes, then blinking in surprise as Renji groaned unsteadily and fainted into Byakuya's arms.

"I don't believe him sometimes," the Kuchiki heir sighed.

"What is the news about Arashi?" Tetsuya asked, "Is he going to foal?"

"He is, Isane replied, taking hold of the unconscious redhead's arm and administering the booster, "We also received word from Kuchiki Manor that Abarai taichou's mount, Yakkaigoto, is expecting."

"Whoa, you mean that idiot is...is going to reproduce?" groaned a somewhat recovered Renji.

"What happened between the stallions gave us lots of good information that may help a lot of couples who are trying to conceive and are having trouble," Isane said enthusiastically, "It turns out that Ikazuchi was not only able to impregnate Arashi, who was bitten, but after Arashi mounted Yakkaigoto, the factor in Arashi's semen also caused Ikazuchi's release to impregnate Abarai taichou's stallion. So, Ikazuchi is father to both Arashi's and Yakkaigoto's foals and Arashi and Yakkaigoto are also having each other's foals."

"But Ikazuchi is not...?" Byakuya began.

"No," Isane answered, "He didn't receive seed from Arashi, so..."

"That figures," Renji chuckled. leaning against Byakuya's shoulder and flinching as the healer injected the Kuchiki heir, "I guess we know who's boss, ne?"

"I am releasing the four of you, but I must also allow you clearances for only desk work until you give birth, due to the unusual circumstances, making you at higher risk for complications."

"What kind of complications?" Renji asked, looking spooked.

"Do not worry about that," Byakuya said, giving him a reproving look, "We will manage."

"But what about me?" asked Tetsuya, "I am not pregnant."

"But you were bitten by the vine and you fathered Rikichi's children, so we need to watch you as well during the gestation. The fact that Rikichi is having your babies may affect your body in ways we can't anticipate."

"Anyone for a real long vacation, full of shots?" Renji mused unhappily.

"Just think of what will happen at the end of the gestation," Byakuya reminded him.

"_That_ scares me as much as the shots!"

XXXXXXXXXX

"If I ever see that fucking Kurosaki, I am going to KILL THAT BASTARD!" Grimmjow roared, kicking a boulder and sending it crashing into another, which caused both to explode into a shower of rocky shards that flew in all directions, "THAT STUPID, MANIAC INNER HOLLOW OF HIS KNOCKED ME UP!"

"Man," Pesche sighed, where he crouched behind several more large boulders a safe distance away from the infuriated sexta Espada and Nel in her equine form, "I think he's gonna bust something!"

"Didn't he already bust up a bunch of rocks?" Dondachakka asked, scratching his head.

"Stop trying to think so hard and stay down!" Pesche scolded him.

"Stop overreacting," Nel said sternly, "It may not kill you now, but if you continue to rampage like that, your reiatsu could go out of control. And you know whenever you start getting mad like this, you throw up more and eventually pass out. So, stop it."

"Stop it?" Grimmjow hissed, his reiatsu swelling as he kicked another boulder, which unexpectedly flew towards where Pesche and Dondachakka knelt, forcing the two to hastily abandon their position and flee to a new hiding place as the rock they had been crouching behind exploded.

"YIIIIIII!" the two yelled, "Whoa, he's really, really pissed!"

"How am I supposed to stop the fact that asshole filled me full of BABIES?" Grimmjow raged, "I'M NOT GONNA BE HIS GODDAMNED BABYMAMA!"

"Calm down!" Nel scolded him, shielding her fraccìon as Grimmjow sent another boulder flying towards their new hiding place, forcing the two to flee again, "Getting mad isn't going to help. You need to go to Ichigo and tell him what happened."

"NO WAY! NO WAY IN HELL AM I GONNA DO THAT!"

"Why not? He's the father. He deserves to know, doesn't he?" Nel pointed out.

"He deserves to know?" the sexta Espada steamed, "I'll tell you what that fucker _DESERVES_! He deserves to DIE PAINFULLY ON THE ENDS OF MY FUCKING CLAWS, THAT'S WHAT THAT ASSHOLE _DESERVES_!"

Nel shook her head and sighed as the raging reiatsu around Grimmjow overheated and the sexta Espada howled and burst into his ressureccìon form.

"Baka..." she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"AUGH!" yelled Grimmjow, putting a hand on his belly as his face turned green and he succumbed to a sudden bout of nausea.

The fight seemed to go out of him and he remained on his knees afterward just looking sick and weary.

"I really hate that guy right now."

"I thought you told me you enjoyed 'kicking quincy ass' with Ichigo and that you kind of liked him now," Nel reminded him.

"Huh!" Grimmjow huffed, clenching at his aching belly, "_Friends_ don't let their stinking inner hollows take over and impregnate their _friends_, Nel. I'm going to fucking kill that guy if he ever comes near me again."

"Grimmjow?" said Ichigo's voice, drawing a hateful glare and a warning growl from the sexta Espada, "I think we should talk."


	5. Spring

**Chapter 5: Spring**

**(So glad to be back to this one! I hope you all enjoy. My e-mail refuses to work and Norton just informed me I have an unfixable virus, so I will have to catch up on shout-outs on the next chapter. Thanks so very much to everyone reviewing and making this one of my most popular stories ever! I have the most awesome readers. You guys are really great, giving me so much encouragement. Oh, if you haven't weighed in on the poll to decide the pairing for my 200th story, be sure to visit my profile and do that. I will have the poll up for a few more days, then make a decision. Ichigo/Renji, Aizen/Byakuya and Aizen/Renji are neck and neck! I may have to have a run-off to decide. Get in there and vote. Have a great day! Love, Spunky)**

_"Grimmjow?" said Ichigo's voice, drawing a hateful glare and a warning growl from the sexta Espada, "I think we should talk."_

Ichigo's eyes widened as icy blue reiatsu rose ominously around Grimmjow, then exploded as a loathsome snarl erupted from the catlike hollow's sneering lips.

"Oh," he growled ferociously, "now you wanna _talk_, do you?"

"Look, Grimmjow, I'm sorry," Ichigo apologized.

"You're _sorry_?" the sexta Espada hissed, "You're fucking SORRY?"

"Hey, I..."

"I'LL SHOW YOU FUCKING SORRY, YOU BASTARD!" Grimmjow howled, surging forward and launching a cero from his hands.

"Whoa! Calm down!" Ichigo yelled, evading the first blast, then flash stepping madly to escape several additional streams of hazardous red light, "Grimmjow!"

"Don't tell me to CALM DOWN, you son of a bitch! You knocked me up! I'm gonna KILL YOU!"

"Hang on a sec! It's not my fault. It was that vine hollow that bit me!" Ichigo complained, "You can't blame me for what a stupid hollow did!"

"Oh," Grimmjow seethed, "Now hollows are _stupid_, are we?"

"I didn't mean _you_," Ichigo sputtered, evading several more blasts and a flurry of razor sharp, slashing claws, "I was just talking about that one."

"Oh, that's sooooo much better," Grimmjow growled, "You know what? I don't care. You did this to me! You let your fucking hollow do this to me and I'm goddamned taking it out of your hide now, you prick!"

"You need to calm down and think, you jerk!" Ichigo objected, "It's not like I _wanted _this to happen. And we need to talk about this. There are..."

"No!" Grimmjow roared, "No, we don't need to _talk_. You need to _die painfully_! That's what need to happen."

Ichigo continued to flash step wildly, avoiding a flurry of vicious slashes of the hollow's wicked claws as Grimmjow snarled and spat venomous threats.

"Grimmjow, take it easy," Ichigo said, absorbing several more blistering cero, claw and foot strikes, "Getting bent outta shape isn't going to help right now."

"BENT OUTTA SHAPE? I'LL BEND YOU OUTTA SHAPE, YOU STUPID, FUCKING ASSHOLE! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"

Grimmjow surged forward, catching the Shiba heir slightly off guard and crashing headlong into him, taking them both to the ground. Sand flew in all directions as the two tumbled around, Grimmjow tearing at Ichigo, and the Shiba heir trying to capture the sexta Espada's blindingly fast hands. Finally, he managed to grab them and he shifted to sit atop Grimmjow's furiously struggling body.

"GET OFF OF ME, YOU BASTARD! WHAT, ARE YOU FUCKING BACK FOR SECONDS? KNOCKING ME UP ONCE WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH? YOU WANT TO MAKE MORE OF THEM?"

"Take it easy!" Ichigo shouted, holding Grimmjow down tightly, "I just wanna talk, that's all!"

"I dont want to talk to you! Get the hell off of me!" Grimmjow roared.

A moment later, his face paled and he groaned uncomfortably.

"Let me up!" he complained.

Frowning sympathetically, Ichigo slid off and watched with a guilty expression as the hollow remained on his knees, holding his belly and retching uncontrollably. Grimmjow fell forward onto his clawed hands, panting heavily and still looking ill.

"I h-hate you," Grimmjow groaned bitterly.

"Yeah, I get it, okay?" Ichigo sighed, shaking his head and scratching the back of his neck, "And I'm pretty sure you're going to hate me more after we talk. But there's going to be trouble, Grimmjow. We need to figure out what to do."

"Oh," the sexta Espada muttered sarcastically, "there's gonna be trouble, he says. Goddamned _genius_. I didn't know knocking me up would cause trouble. Did you?"

"I'm being serious!" Ichigo snapped, "Can you stop insulting me for a second and pay attention? This is a really big deal! There are people in the Seireitei who are going to want to kill you over this, Grimmjow!"

"Shinigamis want to _kill me_? Oh, that's fucking news to me. I never knew shinigamis wanted to _kill hollows_. That's what they exist for, dumbass! Get a fucking clue, will you?"

"That's not what I mean!" Ichigo insisted, "Look, I don't know if you're aware, but I'm heir to leadership of the Shiba clan now."

"I heard. Laughed for a week at the thought of you being in charge of those stuck up nobles. So what?"

"The babies you're having are gonna be Shiba heirs too!"

"R-right," Grimmjow mused distractedly, frowning and glaring down at the bump on his belly, "There's probably more than one, isn't there?"

"Grimmjow, are you listening to me?" Ichigo said more stridently, "The nobles are pissy enough about clan leaders and heirs marrying commoners. They gave Byakuya a hard time about marrying Hisana and they've been horrible to his cousin, Tetsuya, whose half-noble. But that's nothing compared to what they could want to do to you!"

"What? Why me in all of this? I wasn't doing anything! I just fell into that hole like you did! And as I recall, I'm not the fuck-er, but the fuck-ee! You wanna tell me how that makes this _my _fault?"

"I'm not saying it's your fault," Ichigo reasoned, "We couldn't help that the vine hollow bit me or that we fell into that hole together. None of how it happened really matters now. The only thing I care about is protecting you and our kids, okay?"

Grimmjow went still, gazing back at him in silence.

"What?" Ichigo queried, looking back at him sympathetically, "What's wrong, Grimmjow?"

The sexta Espada sighed heavily.

"Ichigo," he said, looking down at his still-clawed hands, "What the hell do you care about a hollow and a bunch of little mistakes? Just get the fuck outta here, okay? I'll be quiet about this, you'll be quiet about this. No one needs to know anything."

"Buddy, they already know I made at least one heir," Ichigo insisted, laying a hand on his shoulder, "And eventually, they're going to figure out it was with you. Look, we may have been enemies, but that was before. Even if you're pissed at me, we're still friends now, and I'm gonna take care of you."

"Tch," the hollow huffed, rolling his eyes, "I don't need you to take care of me. I'll be fine on my own. Just...go back to your stuffy little clan. I'm not going anywhere with you."

He turned and started to walk away, then paused as Ichigo's voice reached him again.

"Grimmjow, I don't want them to hurt you. Let me help you."

"Get away from me, asshole," Grimmjow answered wearily, turning his back on the Shiba heir, "You've done enough. Just leave me alone. I'll...take care of it."

"You'll _take care of it_?" Ichigo repeated, frowning, "Hey, you're not going to...?"

"What?" Grimmjow objected, "No way! I'm not going to kill something, just because I didn't plan for it to be there. What the hell? Why? Do you want me to? Is that why you came here?"

"No!" Ichigo exclaimed, "I told you. I came here because I want to protect you and our kids. Just let me help you."

"Help me what? You said it yourself. They're going to want to kill me, Ichigo. So the best thing for me to _do_ is to hide out here in territory I know and kill anything that tries to fuck with me. I've been doing that all of my life. I can keep doing it."

"You're sick a lot because of this," Ichigo reminded him, "You pass out sometimes. And Grimmjow, you and I have to be close to each other while this is going on, because you'll need infusions of my reiatsu to keep you stabilized so that the babies will be healthy."

"So, what do you want? You want me to come home with you? That'd go over great!"

"My clan isn't like the others. We can protect you. I'll take you back with me and you can stay at the manor under guard."

"Yeah, with a big, fat target on me? No thank you," Grimmjow huffed, "I'm fine right here."

"C'mon," Ichigo argued, "You know Hueco Mundo's no place for having babies and raising kids."

"But I'm a hollow. This is where I live, Ichigo," Grimmjow reminded him.

He made a sound of discomfort and rubbed his belly unhappily, deactivating his resurrecìon.

"You aren't safe here either," Ichigo insisted, "Come with me and we'll go to my family. You know my family will help you. We worked together in the war. I'll go back to the Noble's General Council and remind those bastards that Central 46 awarded you a fucking medal for what you did for them. They may not like it, but there's ground to stand on here. I want to protect you and I'm really gonna try. Just give me a chance, okay? Come back with me."

"Awwwwww!" drawled Dondachakka, peeking out from behind a rock.

"Yeah, go with him," Pesche muttered under his breath, "_We'll_ be safer."

"Nel thinks Itsy-go is right," Nel added, "Nel thinks Grimmjow should let Itsy-go help him."

"Like you three know anything," Grimmjow huffed, crossing his arms.

"We do know that when the quincies came and hurt us, Itsy-go came here to protect us," Nel said sternly, "Itsy-go _always_ protects his friends."

"Who th'fuck has _hollows _for friends?" Grimmjow grumbled, "Guy's out of his mind...off his rocker."

"Come on, Grimmjow," Ichigo said, extending a hand, "Let's get outta here."

Grimmjow bit his lip and scowled, thinking for a moment, then avoiding Ichigo's extended hand, he turned and opened a garganta.

"Fine," he said in a clipped tone, "I'll go with you...on one condition!"

"Yeah?" Ichigo queried.

"You keep that FUCKING INNER HOLLOW on a leash, you hear me?" Grimmjow yelled, "He touches me again and you're both dead!"

"He won't do anything," Ichigo promised, "It was the vine hollow that kept me from resisting him, and, if you really want to know, he didn't even know what he was doing, Grimmjow. He was out of it from the vine hollow too."

"Oh I feel soooooo much better and _way less pregnant now_! Will you shut up and just lead the way, you asshole?"

"Man, what a grouch," Ichigo complained, falling in with him, "It's not like I _wanted _this to happen or anything."

"I said shut up!"

"Fine. Geez..."

The two passed through the dark corridor in silence, feeling icy shafts of air that passed and listening to the solemn drips of condensation that trickled down onto the rocky ground.

"This really sucks," Grimmjow sighed, shaking his head.

"Tell me something I don't know."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Are you feeling all right now?" Tetsuya asked, running his warm, affectionate hands over the small bump on Rikichi's bared belly, "You were very pale before."

"I'm fine now, really," Rikichi sighed, leaning back against Tetsuya's naked chest and teasing him with an over the shoulder kiss, "As soon as you began the infusion, I felt better."

"Your color is better," Tetsuya confirmed, "I just want to be sure."

"I'm sorry about before," Rikichi apologized, "I know it scared you when I got dizzy and sick like that."

"Don't worry about that," Tetsuya chided him.

"But I know you still think about him, Tetsuya. And that makes you worry about me more too."

"Stop," Tetsuya said quietly, "I am all right too. What happened to Naoki, happened a long time ago. And Kotetsu Isane assured us that you will be fine. I would be more worried if I was carrying the child. I was last time and..."

"It's terrible what happened," Rikichi said softly, lacing his fingers into Tetsuya's, "But when our babies are born, if we should have a boy, I would like to name him after your Naoki."

Tetsuya froze for a moment, studying Rikichi's warm, friendly eyes silently. Then, he kissed the other young man very gently on the mouth and continued the infusion.

"Your love is a divine gift, Rikichi," he whispered in his lover's ear, "Every day, you bless me with something new."

XXXXXXXXXX

"I don't know who looks worse, you or me!" Renji chuckled, reaching around his sleepy-eyed mate and infusing his belly with stabilizing reiatsu, "Are you sure you're eating enough?"

"I am eating just fine."

"But maybe you should have another nutrition shot."

"I'm fine, Abarai," Byakuya yawned.

"Yeah, well, you were bent over the toilet for a good five minutes, puking your breakfast out."

"Thank you for reminding me," the clan leader said dryly, "Can you think of something more pleasant to talk about, please?"

"You look beautiful."

"That is better."

"Yeah, well, I've got more where that came from, beautiful," Renji chuckled, "And you know, all of this infusing and stabilizing always makes me..."

"_Insatiable_," Byakuya finished, turning and bringing the redhead down onto his back, "Luckily for _you_, it has the same effect on me."

"Lucky me!" laughed Renji, spreading his thighs invitingly.

Byakuya laid down between them, beginning a thorough investigation of the array of bold tattoos that decorated his lover's proud chest and slightly rounded belly. He worked his way downward slowly, running his pretty, pink tongue teasingly along each black line, then kissing his way down lower. Renji sighed happily and spread his thighs wider, encouraging him by threading his fingers into the noble's silken hair and pushing gently. Byakuya chuckled softly against his skin, tickling him with hot breath as he devoured the lovely, golden-tanned skin and honed in on the bump under which their progeny grew. He paused to caress the area lovingly with his lips and cheek, glancing up at Renji's pleased expression.

"Please tell me you're gonna keep going," the redhead pleaded, "You stop now and I don't know what I'll do."

"Well," Byakuya said sedately, "We cannot have you going off and doing something reckless. I suppose I will have to sate your ever burning hunger, Renji."

"Ooh, I like the sound of that!" Renji purred, moaning languidly as Byakuya moved lower and began a more intimate conquest.

His moans turned more amorous and he thrashed under Byakuya's poised body, his hair splaying out all around his head.

"Mmmmmmm!" Byakuya exclaimed, taking in the erotically beautiful sight of his red haired lover, laid out naked across his bed, writhing uncontrollably and panting harshly.

"Oh gods! J-just do it already! I'm about to...! I'm gonna...!"

Byakuya returned to his mouth for a bout of hard, penetrating kisses, hastily preparing the redhead, then plunging into his body and enjoying the sharp recoil.

"H-holy hell, B-bya...!"

"How dare you truncate my name like that!" the noble hissed playfully.

"Th-thought you said it was okay if I was..."

"In the throes of ecstasy," Byakuya agreed, "But you are not there yet, so don't you dare!"

He thrust furiously into the reeling redhead's yielded body, aroused even more by the way it arched up into his own as he moved, something like their training battles, but a hundred times more enthralling. Heat and light flared around the two as they writhed heavily against each other, ascending to the top of a very high peak, then plunging headlong over and erupting into groans and gasps of intense pleasure. They collapsed onto the bed, sweating and panting, exchanging hard, wet kisses and both feeling the purr of new life inside. Slowly their bodies calmed, and they curled up together and began to drift off.

"Hey uh, how's Tetsuya handling things?" Renji asked, when he had regained his breath.

"He is doing well," Byakuya surmised, "I am sure he is worried, of course. After losing his lover before, it was hard to move on, but he is very attracted to Rikichi."

"And real protective," Renji chuckled, "He's going to be a great father."

"So are you," Byakuya sighed sleepily.

"So are you," Renji laughed softly.

The two drifted towards sleep, but just short, Renji's eyes opened again and he frowned.

"How do you think Grimmjow's taking things?"

"I think it is good that Ichigo went to speak to him in Hueco Mundo."

"Oh?"

"The Seireitei's taken enough damage lately."


End file.
